California electrician credentials
C-10 License vs California General Electrician Certification
A lot of search results mash these together. They are not the same credential, and studying the wrong one is an expensive mistake.
Last reviewed June 2026
The plain-English difference
General Electrician certification
This is the worker credential. It is handled by the DIR/DLSE Electrician Certification Unit. The General Electrician exam tests electrical work covered by the NEC, with heavy weight on Installation and calculations.
C-10 contractor license
This is the contractor credential. It is handled by CSLB. It is for the business side of electrical contracting: qualifying individual, business setup, bonding, contract rules, and contractor law.
How to tell which one you need
- You want to prove 8,000 hours and test as a working electrician: General Electrician certification.
- You want to run an electrical contracting business: C-10 contractor license.
- You are studying NEC installation questions and calculations: General Electrician.
- You are studying law, contracts, bonds, and business rules: C-10.
California next steps
- California requirements8,000 hours, DIR approval, Pearson VUE scheduling, and exam rules.
- Practice testOriginal California practice questions in the real exam format, with worked answers.
- Free diagnosticFind the weak domains before paying for prep.
- Online prepHow to judge California prep platforms before buying.
- Failed the exam60-day retake window and recovery plan.
- Open-book rulesWhy California provides references at the test center instead of allowing your own code book.
- Calculations practiceDwelling load, conduit fill, box fill, motors, transformers, and table lookup under provided-reference conditions.
- Can you bring your code book?Current provided-reference rule from the May 2026 bulletin.
- Retake plannerFailed once? Build a week-by-week plan to your earliest retake date.
- Codebook speed timerTime your lookups. The open-book exam is won on speed, not memory.
- Best prep comparedHonest comparison of the main California prep options, side by side.
Make sure you are studying the right exam
The California diagnostic is built for the DIR General Electrician exam, not C-10 contractor law.